All Pakistan Poultry Association (APPA) has warned government that prices of chicken meat would soar up to Rs 300 to 400 per kilogram (kg) after imposition of the proposed Value Added Tax (VAT) at the rate of Rs 212 per 50-kg poultry feed bag.
Talking to Business Recorder on Tuesday APPA Punjab Chapter spokesman Major (Retd) Javaid Bokhari said that there are 25,000 poultry farms in the country and on average each farm uses about 1800 poultry feed bags in a season to produce, daily, 3 million birds across the country to provide chicken meat and eggs to consumers at reasonable rates throughout the year.
He said that nowhere in the world VAT is imposed on food items but government seems to be hell bent upon depriving people from having the cheapest source of protein by imposing VAT on it. "Low prices of chicken meat are the major source to keep the prices of vegetables within the reach of the common man", he added.
Bokhari said, VAT will increase the cost of poultry production and eventually will lead to closures of many farms in the country Presently lentils like - moong, maash, masoor are being sold at the rate of Rs 180-190 per kg, whereas chicken meat is being sold at Rs, 163 per kg. After the imposition of VAT on chicken feed, inflation and unemployment would rise to new heights, as the entire burden of taxes would be shifted public's way.
He said, poultry farming has now become one of the most dynamic associated parts of agriculture in the country with an annual outcome of Rs 300 billion. It is providing livelihood to 1.5 million households in the country, therefore government should reconsider its decision to levy VAT on poultry industry which is contributing greatly to the food production, besides playing a significant role in stability of prices of essential food items and vegetables. Price of mutton has already increased to Rs 450 per kg and if chicken prices also take a hike, then inflation will be skyrocketing, he emphasised.
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